1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a vehicular driving support apparatus and driving support method capable of causing a host vehicle to follow a specific vehicle (hereinafter also referred to as a “following run”). More particularly, the invention relates to a vehicular driving support apparatus and driving support method capable of stopping the following run of the host vehicle if the possibility of intersection with another vehicle reaches or exceeds a predetermined value.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 11-13507 and No. 11-20499, as for example, describe an apparatus or system in which, in order to cause a host vehicle to follow a preceding vehicle (followed vehicle), a following run control is performed through the use of information acquired via the vehicle-to-vehicle communication between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle instead of or in addition to the information regarding the following distance from the host vehicle to the preceding vehicle detected by a radar or the like.
In the field of vehicle-to-vehicle communication, an apparatus or system is known which acquires vehicular information regarding position, velocity and the like transmitted from nearby vehicles, and determines the possibility of intersection of the host vehicle with any one of the nearby vehicles on the basis of the vehicular information, and, in the case of high possibility of intersection, executes a control for avoiding a collision in some way (e.g., providing information to the driver).
However, the possibility of intersection with another vehicle and, more particularly, the risk of collision with a crossing vehicle are ignored in the aforementioned following run control.
That is, in a case where the likelihood of collision with another vehicle is high if the following vehicle continues to proceed in the same manner, it is dangerous for the following vehicle to proceed as is without taking some sort of precautionary action avoid collision.